1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication device and an access network device, and more particularly, to a communication device for testing subscriber lines and an access network device having a V5 interface and capable of testing subscriber lines.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the recent popularization of the Internet etc., data communications via telephone lines have come to be used more and more widely, with the result that telephone lines are continuously used regardless of the daytime or nighttime.
Under such circumstances, in order to provide high-reliability services, it is necessary that subscriber lines be efficiently tested to quickly and accurately locate faulty spots.
Faults of subscriber lines for analog telephones could hitherto be discovered only on the following occasions: First, after a complaint is received from a customer using a faulty line, the fault is ascertained by a subscriber line test; secondly, faults are discovered by subscriber line testing which is periodically conducted on idle lines (free lines) during a period of time in which the usage ratio of lines is low, such as in the nighttime. Accordingly, line faults could not be discovered early.
On the other hand, where subscriber line testing is conducted on ISDN lines, the lines need to be once set in maintenance mode to thereby restrain call origination and call acceptance. A problem, however, arises in that when the lines are set in maintenance mode, a line through which data is being communicated can possibly be disconnected by mistake.
The present invention was created in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a communication device which is capable of accurately detecting line states and efficiently testing subscriber lines and thus is improved in reliability and quality of maintenance and operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an access network device which is capable of accurately detecting line states and efficiently testing subscriber lines and thus is improved in reliability and quality of maintenance and operation.
To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a communication device 1 for testing subscriber lines, as shown in FIG. 1, which comprises line monitoring means 11 for monitoring line states based on at least one of loop information of lines and status information of bearer channels, and subscriber line testing means 12 for conducting subscriber line testing in accordance with the line states.
The line monitoring means 11 monitors line states based on at least one of the loop information of lines and the status information of bearer channels. The subscriber line testing means 12 conducts subscriber line testing in accordance with the line states.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of example.